Aligning national against European qualifications frameworks: the principles of
self-certification
Professor John ScattergoodPro-Chancellor, Trinity College Dublin
Bologna Seminar, Tbilisi State University27-28 November 2008
Aligning national against European qualifications frameworks: the principles of
self-certification
Professor John ScattergoodPro-Chancellor, Trinity College Dublin
Bologna Seminar, Tbilisi State University27-28 November 2008
Irish context
• Bologna developments taking place in the context of a general reform of the qualifications system
• new legislation, new structures, new awards
• development of a National Framework of Qualifications
Irish National Framework of Qualifications …
• a framework for the development, recognition and award of qualifications in Ireland
• one framework to encompass all awards for all aspects of education and training
• a simple, transparent frame of reference
New legislation, new structures
• Qualifications (Education and Training) Act, 1999
• three new organisations, 2001
• National Qualifications Authority of Ireland
• Further Education and Training Awards Council
• Higher Education and Training Awards Council
• rationalisation of the range of ‘awarding bodies’ (bodies with the statutory power to award qualifications)
Dual approach to framework development
• strong legislative base – legitimisation
• stakeholder approach: consensus-building and consultation
• dual approach enabled
• comparatively rapid development
• implementation across all elements of the education and training system
The Framework in outline
• architecture: Levels, Award-types, Named Awards
• a structure of 10 levels
• level indicators
• 10 level grid of indicators, defined in terms of 8 dimensions of knowledge, know-how & skill and competence (‘sub-strands’)
Verification of compatibility with EHEA framework• two pilot cases of self-certification: Ireland and
Scotland
• steering committee established February 2006
• draft report for consultation published, June 2006
• stakeholder workshop, 3 October 2006
• report completed November 2006
Steering Group members
• National Qualifications Authority of Ireland
• Irish Universities Association
• Dublin Institute of Technology
• Higher Education and Training Awards Council
• International experts (2)
Draft verification report contents
• Verification of criteria
• Verification of procedures
• Appendix 1: Comparison of the Dublin descriptors with the award-type descriptors in the Irish National Framework of Qualifications
• Appendix 2: Analysis of non-outcomes issues which are relevant to verifying the compatibility of the Irish Framework with the Bologna Framework
Criterion 1: Responsibility for framework
• National Qualifications Authority of Ireland established in 2001 with legal remit to develop a National Framework of Qualifications
Criterion 2: Link with cycle descriptors
• detailed background work on comparing national with Dublin descriptors prepared in Spring 2005
• higher education short cycle qualification included (Higher Certificate)
• ordinary bachelors degree and honours bachelor degree – both first cycle qualifications but at different levels in the national framework, giving different access to second cycle programmes in Ireland
• two kinds of masters programmes at the same level in the national framework (research and taught)
Criterion 3: Learning outcomes and ECTS links
• learning outcomes required by the Qualifications Act
• national descriptors expressed in terms of learning outcomes
• all Irish HE awarding bodies operate credit system in line with ECTS
Criterion 4: Procedures for inclusion in national framework
• policies and criteria established and published by the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland
• all Irish HE bodies now using framework descriptors as descriptors of the awards they make
Criterion 5: QA systems and the framework• three separate but linked QA systems in Irish HE
• Universities – Irish Universities Quality Board
• DIT – Qualifications Authority
• other HE providers – HETAC
• Irish Higher Education Quality Network
• HETAC and DIT award standards linked to the framework by statute and monitored by their QA arrangements such as programme accreditation and review
• Universities revised their Framework for Quality in Irish Universities to incorporate the qualifications framework
Criterion 6: Referenced in diploma supplements
• Irish framework levels referenced in Diploma Supplements
• Bologna framework cycles referenced in Diploma Supplements
Criterion 7: Responsibility of parties clear
• responsibilities laid out in legislation and worked through in the development of the national framework
• responsibilities understood nationally
Verification of procedures• Each of the six procedures is addressed:
– The competent national body/bodies shall certify the compatibility of the national framework with the European framework.
– The self-certification process shall include the stated agreement of the quality assurance bodies in the country in question recognised through the Bologna Process
– The self-certification process shall involve international experts
– The self-certification and the evidence supporting it shall be published and shall address separately each of the criteria set out
– The ENIC and NARIC networks shall maintain a public listing of States that have confirmed that they have completed the self-certification process
– The completion of the self-certification process shall be noted on Diploma Supplements issued subsequently by showing the link between the national framework and the European framework
Conclusion from the verification process
• compatibility verified between Irish awards and the Bologna cycle descriptors
• limited progression from some first cycle awards (ordinary bachelors) to existing second cycle programmes
• the fact that the relationships between the two types of first cycle degrees are (generally) understood domestically does not suffice – international transparency is the whole point and this requires detailed explication
Lessons from the verification process
• international dimension to verification adds credibility/transparency
• parallel verification with peer (e.g. Ireland and Scotland) adds to international dimension
• technical analysis of qualifications can be quite complex
• data on international progression to/from Bologna-style qualifications are sparse
• legacy questions need to be considered in national frameworks
Further Information
• Framework website: www.nfq.ie
• National Qualifications Authority of Ireland: www.nqai.ie
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